The present disclosure relates to anti-ice systems, and more specifically, to a system for detecting ice.
Ice buildup on aerodynamic surfaces of aircraft can be problematic. For example, ice can build up on the leading edges of wings and/or engine nacelles. The ice can also disrupt the intended airflow over the aerodynamic surfaces, causing a loss of lift generated by the aerodynamic surface. A combination of design considerations of modern airfoils and modern certification requirements result in less ice tolerance, meaning that modern aircraft need to have more anti-ice capability than some conventional anti-icing technologies can provide. However, existing anti-ice technologies are complicated and/or expensive.
Conventional anti-ice systems that reduce (but do not eliminate) these effects are not sufficient for commercial service. Moreover, current ice detectors can only detect the presence of ice at sensor locations or indicate the aircraft is in potential icing conditions. Thus, there is no current method of accurately detecting the severity of ice accumulation on airplane surfaces.
What is needed, then, is a solution that detects the presence of ice on aerodynamic surfaces in a more comprehensive manner so that more ice can be removed more effectively from more locations on the aircraft's aerodynamic surfaces.